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FAQs on Carbon Filtration, Renewal/Life
Related FAQs: Carbon 1,
Carbon 2, & FAQs on
Carbon: Rationale/Use,
Types/Qualities/Selection, Placement,
Negative Reactions, Sources/Brands, &
Marine Chemical Filtrants Related
Articles: Marine Chemical Filtrants,
Zeolite Filters: A Discussion of What Zeolites Are and How They
Function by Jens Kallmeyer,
The ZEOvit System: A New Concept in Reefkeeping by Alexander
Girz, |
Depending on initial quality, quantity... the bio-load, other water
chemistry... carbon is "exhausted" minutes to hours after
application... still useful biologically however. Not worthwhile for
home hobbyists to try to recharge. |
Reactivate Activated Carbon? – 11/24/07
Hello crew, John here.
<<Hey John, Eric here>>
I have a question.
<<Okay>>
Is there
any way I can reactivate activated carbon, so I don't have to keep
buying it all the time?
<<I’ve wondered that myself before…and from
what I recall the process (extremely high temperatures/pressures), as
well as the expense involved, render this impractical…at least for
hobbyists>>
Thanks for your time,
John. Happy Holidays.
<<Happy
to help. EricR>>
Recharging Chemi-Pure? – 11/25/07
Hello all,
<<Morning Whit>>
Thanks in advance for your help.
<<A pleasure>>
I was wondering if
there is any way to recharge Chemi-Pure?
<<Not that I am aware>>
I
have looked and looked, but can’t find any information.
<<This
product is a combination of carbon and an ion-exchange resin. It’s not
possible/practical/economical for the hobbyist to regenerate carbon
(requires considerable investment in a multiple-hearth furnace capable
of generating temperatures of 800 °C)…and while it “is” possible to
regenerate the ion-exchange resin (generally an overnight soak in a
bleach solution), the effort required to separate the tiny resin beads
from the carbon will likely prove to be non-worthwhile>>
Also, what
are your thoughts regarding original Chemi-Pure, and the new Chemi-Pure
Elite.
<<I think the original Chemi-Pure is great stuff…the efficacy
of the new “Elite” version with the added iron-based phosphate remover
remains to be seen>>
Is the Elite worth the cost difference?
<<At
almost twice the price with a 17% increase in volume (10oz vs. 11.74oz)
I’m inclined to stick with the original, and purchase an iron-based
phosphate remover separately to be run/maintained in a separate
reactor>>
Thanks!
Whit
<<Glad to assist. EricR>>
Thermal Reactivation of Carbon
Hello all, I have a quick question
as to the re-use of carbon in my reef tank. <Yes, surely> The use of
granular activated* carbon (GAC) tends to be the best available method
for removing dissolved organics and some inorganic chemicals from our
reef tanks by adsorption. It is assumed that the inorganic chemicals are
removed through a properly functioning RO/DI process and are not
re-introduced into the reef system at another stage.
Organics are
introduced by various biological processes which are occurring in the
reef system. When those organics have saturated the available GAC and it
has reached its breakpoint, shouldn't it be possible to regenerate the
GAC with the application of heat to burn up the organic molecules which
have been captured? <In a lab environment, certainly> In water treatment
applications it is mentioned that GAC can be reactivated but at an
interval of 1 to 2 years. Any thoughts on this matter?
<I have heard
many thought on the re-activation of carbon, both in home and in
laboratory environments. I'm not certain why I haven't heard about home
success regarding this. In the business world, I believe something
called a "Carbon Reactivation Kiln" is used, but they're typically a
custom made item. This leads me to assume that the resources for
obtaining new carbon are less costly than re-activating saturated
carbon. I would encourage you to keep the flow of information coming-
Much research on matters like this is unavailable to the daily aquarist
because it's private research. It's in my nature to encourage recycling
and reusing extinguishable resources. Thanks for contributing, Ryan
Bowen>
Thanks for any information you can supply.
<It's not much,
but perhaps this is a good starting point:
http://webstore.ansi.org/ansidocstore/product.asp?sku=ASTM+D6781-02>
David McFadden
Dallas, Texas
* The term activated refers to the
high-temperature removal of tarry
substances from the interior of the
carbon granule, leaving a highly
porous structure.
Carbon use 3/11/05
Just a quick question about carbon use. I'm
planning to use one of the WWM FAQs recommended brand in small amount on
a continuous basis changing it maybe each two weeks.
<changing small
amounts (weekly) frequently is always better than larger monthly>
I
understand it is better to have the water forced through it instead of
dropping the bag in the sump.
<correct... unless it is only used for
color/odor control>
However, I don't want to kill/trap plankton by
forcing the whole flow of water through it.
<a small concern>
Same
for the use of a hang on power filter with carbon.
<easily avoided by
putting a foam block on the intake... extend the life of chemical media
too!>
Maybe block part of the water flow with the bag of carbon, but
water following the easiest path I don't know if it's much different
than dropping the bag in the sump.
<over thought... no worries>
And then again, some plankton are going to be pushed and trap on/in the
bag. What's the best plankton-friendly option for me?
Thanks!!!
Dominique
<best regards, Anthony>
- Carbon Use, Follow-up
Bob,
<JasonC here in his stead.>
I took your advice and bought the
canister filter (Hot magnum) I will probably use it once a month and let
it run for a few days with carbon. Do you think I should dispose of the
carbon after using it for a couple of days or would it still be good to
use a few more times?
<Nope... the carbon is pretty much spent after
24 hours. Does all the good it's going to do in those first couple of
days. Do not re-use.>
Thanks again for your help!
<Cheers, J -- >
Carbon in a marine tank 9/23/05
A quick question: I've read
through the Conscientious Marine Aquarist and your website. In the book
it says that activated carbon has an effective life of two to three
months. But in a few of the answers to daily questions recently it was
stated that in a marine tank carbon only has an effective life of 24
hours. Is there a definitive answer? <The quality of the carbon has a
lot to do with how much dissolved waste it can absorb. The bio-load of
the tank the carbon is being used on is another factor along with
whether a protein skimmer is being used in conjunction with the
carbon. There is really no realistic time span that carbon is
effective. Case in point. Chemi-Pure claims a six month life. Two
months max for me. Not saying it's not effective for six months, just
not in my tank. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for you help!
Berlin style set-up/carbon
Bob-
As a follow up question
regarding mechanical filtration:
I have a Magnum with a canister
filter. My plan was to use it two - three days a month with carbon. When
I remove the carbon should I replace the canister with the regular
filter and run it all the time? I always thought that this would be an
ideal place for waste build-up resulting in higher phosphates, etc...
Also, what type of carbon do you recommend?
Thanks again,
Rob
<Ah, good to hear... If it were me, I'd just leave the Magnum running
continuously, replacing the carbon once a month (though it will be
exhausted in a few hours...). I would place the carbon in a
Dacron/polyester bag (many units already come in one), behind a layer or
disposable filter fiber, and before two grades of permanent (but
washable) Eheim Fein and Grob flocken (great plastic media that lasts...
forever)...
Bob Fenner> Carbon
Dear Bob,
There are
a lot of opinions on the use of carbon in a reef tank. Some say use it
all the time, others say every other month, some say not at all. Even
the amount to use is a mystery. What is your opinion? I'd like to know
if I should use it all the time, how much to use, and which brand is
gives the most "bang for the buck".
Thanks again,
Tony
>
Thanks for asking... IMO, most people, for most types of set-ups
would/will receive sufficient "bang for the buck" advantage in using
activated carbon about once a month... the amount is of course going to
vary depending on the livestock, feeding, other filtration, quality of
carbon... and much more... but something in the way of about a ounce per
ten gallons of real system water (minus decor) is about right... On our
old service company accounts we used to have two units of Chemipure (one
older, up to two months, the other the newer, less than one month old)
replacing the oldest one every month.
My favorite brand, bar none is
the HR (High Retention) Carbon sold by Tropical Marine Centre out of the
UK (distributed in the US by other folks). This superb product holds
onto undesirable materials but doesn't interfere with alkalinity or
biominerals... an important claim. Place such "free" activated carbon in
a reusable Dacron/polyester bag.
Bob Fenner, who could go on
Activated Carbon
I'm confused about the use of activated carbon
in my marine aquarium. The advice I have read/heard ranges from
activated carbon is only good for a couple of days and then should be
thrown out to keeping activated carbon up to two months. I have a hang
on power filter and would like to know what is the proper use of
activated carbon under normal operating conditions, as well as it's
other applicable uses.
>
You can read my take on activated carbons
and other chemical filtrants posted in articles, et al. on the site:
www.wetwebmedia.com
For the short version: Activated carbon is a
useful material to use, generally periodically to remove excess
organics... Most forms have the shortcoming of removing too much in the
way of biominerals and other useful materials as well.
Even the best
activated carbons only "last" minutes to hours in actual application. So
"over-using" them is of small concern... unless you're switching out
your AC every day...
Most folks who do use carbon, as I say, do so
on a periodic basis... I suggest once a month... And yes, there are
"rules of thumb" about how much AC can/should be applied in a filter
flow path... The best "assays" are you and your livestock. For you,
looking at a piece of white paper, end to end through the long path of
your fish tank, before and after the carbon will surprise you... the
water will be much less "yellow"... For your livestock, closely
observing their reaction to water quality will tell you about how much
carbon you ought to use, how frequently.
One stipulation here... be
careful to not "overuse" carbon... in terms of improving water quality
in the way of strikingly improving light transmission... the first time
out, it isn't too hard to actually photo-shock (burn) your
photosynthetic livestock.
Bob Fenner
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